Hitchcock is one of the few filmmakers who can command a Top 10 list that leaves bona fide masterpieces out in the cold. That’ll happen when you’re on top of your game for almost 40 years. Sorry, Suspicion. Condolences to The 39 Steps. Here’s my very subjective countdown of Hitch’s finest.

10. Blackmail – At the dawn of the sound era, Hitchcock already had wildly imaginative command of the new technology (see below).

9. The Birds – Still widely misunderstood. Consider the audacity of unleashing an aviary plague on an unmarried couple’s minor transgressions. (It ain’t about birds).

8. The Lady Vanishes – Minor? Maybe. But the chemistry between Michael Redgrave and Margaret Lockwood is delicious. Hitchcock really knew his way around a train.

7. North by Northwest – Of course the perfect cocktail of suspense and glamor has Cary Grant at its core.

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